Fishbone wants to reel in cash for Haiti at Simi Valley benefit concert

Reggae ska band Fishbone to headline Haiti benefit

John Scarpati/Contributed photo
A Fishbone concert is one big excuse to party. "We've experimented and expanded our sound, but overall, the root of what we do is intact," bass player Norwood Fisher says. "So you get 'Party at Ground Zero' and all the classics, but we extend and stretch it."

FISHBONE
The band will headline the All for Angels Rockin' Soul Skankdown, a fundraising concert for AngelCare, which supports children in Haiti, from 1-9 p.m. Saturday at Skatelab, 4224 Valley Fair St., Simi Valley. Also playing are The Untouchables, The Divine Crime, Pour Habit, Graveyard Bandits and Knock-Out. Tickets are $30, or two for $50. For more information, visit skatelab.com. Fishbone's website is fishbone.net.
-----------------------
Jeff Farsai/Contributed photo
Fishbone has been pounding out killer reggae and ska jams since 1985. The group's up-and-down career is examined in the new documentary "Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone."

ed by Toussaint L'Overture, "the black George Washington," Haiti became one of the first democracies in the New World in 1804 when it staged the world's first successful slave uprising that defeated a powerful European nation (France and Napoleon, no less). Since then Haitian bad luck has worsened and the island nation is the poorest in the Americas, routinely suffering calamities — political, economic and physical — including the devastating earthquake in January 2010. Not surprisingly, Haiti still needs help.

To that end, a benefit concert at Skatelab in Simi Valley will feature a bunch of bands all day Saturday. Many are of the ska and reggae persuasion, like longtime SoCal favorite Fishbone, ably assisted by those rockin' ladies fronting The Divine Crime, and a band that has been at this as long as Fishbone, the Eliot Ness-less Untouchables. One thing about musicians: You may or may not like their music, but there's never a question about the size of their hearts and continual willingness to help. Billed as the Rockin' Soul Skankdown, this one is a benefit for AngelCare's relief efforts in Haiti (angelcare4children.org).

It's a serious situation, obviously, but also a fun soundtrack. Fishbone popped up in 1985 with a debut EP that contained the band's two signature tunes, "Party at Ground Zero" and "U.G.L.Y." Another great L.A. band from the '80s, Fishbone held its own with the likes of Los Lobos, Oingo Boingo, the Gun Club, the Leaving Trains and the Blasters. The band got a boost in 1987 by performing "Jamaican Ska" in the comeback flick for Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, "Back to the Beach."

Fishbone even has a new album, "Crazy Glue," reminding the locals why SoCal loves ska and reggae music. Fishbone has certainly shared the love up in the 805, playing here numerous times, including back in the good old days at Nicholby's in Ventura.

One of the originals, bass player Norwood Fisher, discussed the latest during a recent phoner.

The riches are still flowing in, but my bank account ain't reflecting it.

So, you've been at this almost 30 years — think you might stick with it?

Yeah, I'm a lifer, dude.

How do you account for your longevity?

All of it has to do really with loving what you do. It has to.

Where does "Crazy Glue" fit in with your vast body of work?

There is an introspective side of it where it's not always easy. It's got to be crazy — and the glue that holds all of this together? It's not Elmer's, man.

How has the L.A. scene changed since the '80s?

In the '80s up until a certain point in the '90s, it actually seemed like there was a scene, but now, I think, there is no scene. I think the scene is virtual.

When anybody comes close to having a scene, it's already on Facebook and somebody is actively looking to co-opt it into a Nike ad or (something). But you get people in different cities because of Facebook and Myspace, so it's not isolated and people are communicating and sharing ideas over long distances.

What was it like being in a cool L.A. band back in the '80s?

We came out of something — The Untouchables, Fishbone, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Thelonious Monster, Jane's Addiction and many more bands. At some level, if we didn't know these bands, we knew of them and there was a respect, and we would go see each other's bands. And the thing we had in common was the love for bands that came before us, like X and the Gun Club.

"Party at Ground Zero": Does that song still has a life of its own?

It's quite ironic because there was a time at the fall of the USSR — just after that — when we did a bunch of colleges and it hit me: "Wow, we're playing this song for 18-year-olds. They don't have to worry about the things we had on our minds." It felt like an obsolete idea, and now maybe it's not exactly relevant because we no longer have to worry about Cold War ideas.

We've experimented and expanded our sound, but overall, the root of what we do is intact. So you get "Party at Ground Zero" and all the classics, but we extend and stretch it.

Why do you suppose ska is so popular in SoCal?

I think it's because of Annette Funicello.

That was what my next question: Did you get to meet Annette when you guys worked on "Back to the Beach"? She was the PG-rated Katy Perry and Britney Spears of her day, the hottie who was every teenage boy's dream date.

Yeah, and she covered Jamaican ska and introduced it along with Jamaican culture to America. (I)t's ironic to think that ska and reggae in Jamaican music is forever tied to the surf culture as well because of Annette Funicello. Without (her), Bob Marley would not have had the effect that he did.

How did you get to be the bass player?

I was born to do this — it's my gig. I'm totally convinced this was my calling.

What was your strangest gig?

We played once at Knott's Berry Farm at a time when they were really afraid of punk rock and made us buy hats.

Buy hats?

Yeah, Knott's Berry Farm hats so we could play and get paid for playing that park. And the kids went nuts. It was packed and they shut down the show. Maybe that wasn't the strangest, but they hired us for a paying gig.

Where do you fit in with all the hip-hop people? Are you too rock for those guys?

Well, a big part of the Fishbone history is us doing a lot of shows with hip-hop acts, and most of the time, it worked out really well. Run DMC's first show in Hollywood was with Fishbone — that had to be 1984. We also opened for Ice-T, Whodini and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

I teach in state prison — at the California Youth Authority — and almost none of the black guys know who anybody is because anything before they were born didn't exist. I interviewed Chuck D. from Public Enemy last week and they said, "Who's that?"

Yeah and maybe in the black community it's more of a defined disconnect. It seems as if black youth have abandoned jazz and rock 'n' roll.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started this crazy adventure?

That's a rough one, man — there's been a whole lot. Even the hard lessons were worth the journey. I feel like I'm in a great place right now in my spirit and mind, and I don't know what part of that I would change.

Who would you pay to see, alive or dead?

Jimi Hendrix — that's the one. Man, if I could see that live ...

What advice would you give to the next generation?

Be open to educate yourself in as many ways as possible. There is no such thing as wasted knowledge. Whatever you learn, you can filter it into your music, your business. And learn as many languages as possible.

All right then.

And let me say that the show we are doing on the 28th is a benefit and that means a lot to me. It's all about helping and giving back. No matter what my current situation is, there's always people who are much worse off, and if I can put my talents to use and bring some relief to people who need it, it's an awesome thing.

For more on music, local bands and new albums, check out Bill Locey's Rockin' Roll Call blog at blogs.venturacountystar.com/locey. Email Locey at blocey@pacbell.net.